"I don't want a kid to ever look at me and go, 'He just hit three homers in a game, he's probably on steroids,' " Teixeira said Wednesday following a visit to Yankees camp by players association chief Michael Weiner.

In these spring training visits, Weiner tells players he knows how sick they are of the steroid subject.

But then a story such as the recent Biogenesis scandal surfaces, and "that's where the frustration comes in," Weiner said.

"For the most part, guys thought they were done with this issue."

Alex Rodriguez and Francisco Cervelli are among several players linked to Biogenesis through a published report, but the Yankee teammates have denied any use of performance-enhancing drugs from the now-shuttered Miami-area clinic.

MLB is conducting its investigation, and Weiner said he believes that players association reps have met with A-Rod. Cervelli said he's met in Tampa with union reps to give his side.

The MLBPA has an obligation to defend its membership, but "there's no mistake as to where the players are [on the issue of PEDs]," Weiner said. "Mark is right: They are sick of this issue … and if something's going on, whether it's Miami or otherwise, they want us to get to the bottom of it."

Teixeira believes the game has made great strides during his decade as a player.

"Guys aren't hitting 60, 70 homers anymore," Teixeira said. "The days of guys being twice the size they should be and hitting 60 homers a year – I think those days are over."

The best deterrent to PED use "is to make it more likely that you're going to get caught," Weiner said. "Increasing the likelihood of detection was really the major joint priority of us and the commissioner's office this off-season."

This is the first year of in-season blood testing for human growth hormone, and there's likely to be further union dialogue about the merit for greater penalties against steroid cheats.

"They've been doing a good job of cleaning it up, but there's always going to be outliers," Teixeira said. "There's always going to be cases where guys either intentionally or unintentionally break the rules.

"At the same time, if there's anything we can do to make it more of a deterrent or to make the testing better, we're all for going through that process."

Teixeira would rather concentrate on staying ahead of the cheaters than the punishment for those caught doping.

"What we're finding is that there are doctors out there smarter than the test," Teixeira said. "If [players] get caught, [suspended] 50 games and your name [gets] tarnished? That's a heck of a penalty for any player.

"I'd rather fix the science side than just try to say, 'OK, you're banned for life the first time.' "

Of course, there never will be a foolproof solution to cleanse the game completely.

"The IRS can do everything they can to try and stop it, but people are going to cheat on their taxes," Teixeira said by way of example. "It's not going to be 100 percent perfect."

$189M SKEPTICISM: When it comes to the Yankees' efforts to get payroll under the $189 million threshold for 2014, "Like a lot of things, I'll believe it when I see it," Weiner said. But the MLBPA chief acknowledged the benefits of zeroing out and restarting the clock on luxury-tax penalties.

"If the Yankees decide to drop their payroll to do that, I'm not concerned," Weiner said. "They're dropping payroll to put themselves in position to greatly increase their payroll the next year."